By Ryan Johnston
Learning to work around all the hectic affairs in college and setting up a schedule can help students get better grades and have less stress.
Counselor Thomas C. Johnson said time management is an important skill for any student to learn, especially for students who work and attend school full-time.
“For those students who attend school full-time, we suggest they limit work to no more than 20 hours,” he said. “The general rule of thumb is that for every hour spent in class, it is another two hours outside of class to work on reading.”
He said the first item they would have to do is keep track of their time for a week. After, they will attempt to eliminate or reduce times for situations that are deemed less important.
There are four factors that account for time management, he said.
The first phase is urgent and important, which means the person needs to take care of the situation quickly. For example, Johnson said if a student needed to go to the hospital because of illness is an urgent and important matter.
Second is urgent and not important, which means the person attends to the matter quickly, even if the matter is not significant at the time. For example, Johnson said if a phone rings, a student may feel the need to answer it, even if it is not an important call.
Third is not urgent and not important, which Johnson explained as a student going to a party or to a club. However, he said it is important to do these things, but at the proper time.
Fourth is not urgent and important, which could translate into working on time management and keeping up with classes.
Yet, he said he knows it is difficult for some students because they must work and attend school full-time, take care of their children and take on many other responsibilities.
“I admire a lot of the students here,” he said.
“Some don’t have a choice and it’s hard, but they do it.”